As we continue our Introduction to the Old Testament – Part Two – The Big Names today we turn to the period known as the age of the “Patriarchs.” According to Dictionary.com a patriarch is the male head of a family or tribal line. In our case, the “Patriarchs” are the first three male heads of the people of Israel: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The Patriarchs are often referred to together in later portions of the Old Testament and the New Testament, because it was through them that the people of Israel, or the Jews came into existence, and grew to be a people. Abraham is the great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandson of Noah, and biblical scholars believe about four hundred years came between the time of Noah and Abraham. God called Abraham, whose name at the time of his call by God was Abram, to leave his homeland and go to “a land I will show you.” In other words, Abram, whom we will call Abraham from here on out, was to leave his homeland, a community and culture he had known for his entire life, and at a relatively old age take Sarah (originally Sarai) his wife, some servants a nephew, and some of their belongings and start walking. Amazingly, Abraham did it! As we follow the life of Abraham, we find that God made him a number of promises, but they all fall into the categories of these three promises 1) Abraham would become a great nation; 2) Abraham’s descendants would inherit a great land; and 3) All the nations of the earth would be blessed through Abraham and his descendants. The promises all relied on Abraham having descendants to fulfill them, and both Abraham and Sarah were old when God called them. They had no children, even though God promised them their descendants would be as many as the stars of the sky and the sands of the seashore. As we follow Abraham’s life, we see that for the most part he trusted God and obeyed him. As with all humans, Abraham had periods of disobedience, but because of his faith in God, Abraham is remembered as the “Father” of the Israelites, and as the “Father of Faith.” Abraham is not just the “Father” of the Jews or Israelites, but the spiritual father of all who follow God to this day. We find the account of Abraham and Sarah’s lives in Genesis 12-25. Those chapters are well worth reading, because through them we see how God worked in the life of one man to set in motion the plans for an entire nation. Abraham’s greatness is recorded throughout the Bible in his willingness to believe God and act on his faith in Him.

God’s promise that Abraham would be a great nation and have many descendants seemed impossible to fulfill, so Abraham and Sarah decided to “help” God with it. Sarah came up with the idea, and Abraham agreed that he would “sleep” with Sarah’s servant girl, Hagar. As a result of this union Ishmael was born. The problem was God had promised to give Abraham and Sarah descendants, not Abraham and Ishmael. God fulfilled His promise to them, as He fulfills every promise He makes, and eventually Isaac was born. The name Isaac means “laughter,” and the reason for the name is that both Abraham and Sarah laughed when they were told they would have a son, because they were so old it seemed impossible. As Isaac grew, Abraham realized that he needed to find a wife for Isaac so God’s promise could be fulfilled. While God promised Abraham that Ishmael would also be blessed, God had determined that the line of Israel, His people, would continue through Isaac. The account of Isaac’s wife, Rebekah, being located by Abraham’s servant is amazing, too. While Isaac is numbered among the Patriarchs of Israel, his inclusion is more positional than because of his great impact on the Israelites. Abraham and God held an intimate relationship, and Isaac’s son Jacob, had twelve sons, who became the heads of the twelve tribes of Israel, but Isaac’s life was more of a transition from Abraham’s to Jacob’s than anything else. In fact, the most memorable moment of Isaac’s life from a biblical standpoint is the time when Abraham was called by God to “sacrifice” Isaac to Him. Of course, God did not have Abraham kill Isaac, because that would be contrary to God’s nature and will, but Abraham did go through the process of sacrificing Isaac, right up to the moment of bringing the knife down to kill Him. The account is found in Genesis 22, and provides us with a powerful reminder that God wants us to put Him FIRST in our lives. The bulk of the life of Isaac is recorded in Genesis 21-28. As we read these chapters we see that much of the information looks back to Isaac’s impact on Abraham, or forward to Jacob becoming the next Patriarch, even though he was born second to Esau, and in the culture of the day had the “right,” to carry on the family line instead of Jacob.

Jacob’s life is one of deception and intrigue. From his birth Jacob is an underdog, since he was the second-born of a pair of twins, the other being Esau. As just noted, that meant Esau ought to have received a double portion of Isaac’s estate, as well as Isaac’s primary blessing, according to the customs of the Jews. As we read the accounts of Jacob and Esau, we see that Jacob bargained Esau out of his birthright of the double portion of the estate, and in cooperation with his mother, Rebekah, Jacob deceived Isaac and received what ought to have been Esau’s blessing. Although Jacob did these things, God blessed Him and before Jacob’s birth God chose him to be the one through whom the line of Israel would continue. We read the account of Jacob’s life beginning in Genesis 25 and continuing through the end of Genesis in chapter 50, although much of the last ten chapters of Genesis is devoted to the life of one of Jacob’s sons, Joseph.

Today’s application project is similar to yesterday’s although with more reading! Since the lives of the Patriarch’s is covered from Genesis 12-50, the task is to read through the chapters, and identify a passage that includes a challenge or an action you see God calling you to carry out, and then carrying it out.

Heavenly Father, Thank You for calling ordinary people to follow You, and then doing extraordinary things through them. Thank You for Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Let me see their example and then live out their faith and obedience in the power of the Holy Spirit. This I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.